A variety of approaches are available for surgical preparation of a knee to receive a prosthetic joint in a total knee replacement procedure (also referred to as a total knee arthroplasty). Prior to replacing the knee joint with prosthetic components comprising a replacement knee joint, surgical cuts are generally made to resect portions of both the proximal tibia and distal femur. These cuts are made to prepare the tibia and femur to receive the prosthetic components. After these resections are performed, the prosthetic components can be attached and/or secured to the tibia and femur.
The desired orientation and/or position of the surgical cuts, and of the prosthetic components, can be determined pre-operatively and based, for example, on a mechanical axis running through an individual patient's leg. Once the desired locations of these cuts are determined pre-operatively, the surgeon can use various systems and methods known to a person of skill in the art to resect the tibia and femur.
Following resection of the tibial and femoral surfaces, it is important to confirm the dimension and symmetry of the prosthetic gap, which can include the extension gap and/or the flexion gap, as well as the angular alignment of the resected surfaces, to ensure proper selection and fit of the prosthetic components to be implanted. Failure to accurately assess the dimension and symmetry of the prosthetic gap and the angular alignment of the resected surfaces can produce misalignment of the implanted joint, resulting in post-recovery pain, joint instability poor joint function, and decreased implant longevity.
Therefore, devices, systems, and methods for assessing a prosthetic gap between a resected distal femur and a resected proximal tibia to assess proper implant fit and alignment prior to a trial reduction with prosthetic components are desirable.